Niels van Heertum

Niels van Heertum (euphonium) Niels Van Heertum started playing the euphonium at the age of eight. With a background in both classical and jazz music, Niels went further on the path of jazz euphonium at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, where he studied with John Ruocco and Kris Defoort, among others. Attending masterclasses and private lessons by Sergio Carolino, Chris Speed, Brian Bowman, Ellery Eskelin and Samuel Blaser. In 2010 he formed the band Ifa y Xango, together with six fellow musicians. The band won the prestigious Gent Jazz Contest 2011 and played at the Gent Jazz Festival in 2012. Their critically aclaimed debut album ‘Abraham’ was selected as ‘best debut of the year’ by the New York City Jazz Magazine. He has been playing with Chantal since many years.